Why platinum and palladium?

Platinum

Platinum is one of the most expensive metals on the market has been gaining in popularity in recent years thanks to its wide variety of uses. Platinum is a very popular metal for use in autocatalysts which are products that help carmakers clamp down on harmful emissions and are required in most countries for all cars. It is is also heavily used in electronics and increasingly, jewelry as well.

Palladium

Investing in Palladium is like investing in other precious metals. A traditional way by doing this is buying bullion coins. There was a price peak in 2001 at $1,100 per troy ounce due to big demand from the automobile industry building catalytic converters.

The biggest producers of palladium are Russia and South-Africa. It is becoming more and more difficult to keep up with demand. In South Africa, the world’s second largest palladium producer, labor strikes by palladium miners continue to cause supply concerns.

Because, the world’s biggest producer of palladium just so happens to be: Russia. As Moscow and the West face off in the sharpest war of words since the Cold War, investors are increasingly concerned that palladium supplies could become endangered amid growing threats of more economic sanctions. Together, Russia and South Africa make up nearly 80% of the world’s palladium supplies. Given the current instability, investor concerns are primarily on the supply side.